Southern Hills Mall

Southern Hills Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall in Sioux City, Iowa. The mall draws approximately 6 million visitors each year, primarily from the Siouxland region of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. [cite web|author=The Macerich Company|title=Center Details: Southern Hills Mall|url=http://www.macerich.com/pages/leasing/detail/?id=74|accessdate=2006-11-11]

History

Plans for an enclosed mall in Sioux City were discussed as early as 1969. However, these plans faced opposition by downtown advocates, including city council members who favored urban renewal in the downtown area instead. [cite book|first=Scott|last=Sorenson|coauthor=B. Paul Chicoine|title=Sioux City: A Pictorial History|publisher=Donning|location=Norfolk|year=1982|pages=210|id=ISBN 0-89865-276-6] While General Growth Properties was forced to move its proposed mall site from the industrial area north of the Sioux Gateway Airport to the southern edge of the Morningside neighborhood because of a zoning change, local developers unveiled plans for two malls in the downtown area in the mid-1970s. One of them was a three-story mall at 4th and Nebraska streets that would be anchored by Brandeis, a now-defunct department store chain from Omaha. However, the city council began supporting General Growth's proposal after a new council was elected in 1977, and construction of Southern Hills Mall began after that. (Both of the proposed downtown malls were canceled, and the excavated site of Brandeis' mall would colloquially be known as "Lake Brandeis" before the 10-story Terra Plaza office tower was completed on that site in 1983.) "Sioux City Journal" writer Marcia Poole referred to this controversy as the "Great Sioux City Shopping Center Battle" in a 2003 book. [cite book|first=Marcia|last=Poole|title=Sioux City History: 1980-2002|publisher=Donning|location=Virginia Beach|year=2003|pages=17-20|id=ISBN 1-57864-203-5]

The $21 million Southern Hills Mall opened March 5, 1980. It was originally anchored by Target and Sears, with Younkers opening later. [cite book|last=Poole|title=Sioux City History: 1980-2002|pages=24-25] The mall would benefit from increased traffic from the nearby Sergeant Floyd Memorial Bridge after the Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge was forced to close during most of 1982 due to structural defects. [cite book|last=Poole|title=Sioux City History: 1980-2002|pages=69]

General Growth managed the mall until The Macerich Company took over the management duties in March 1998; Macerich and the Simon Property Group equally own the mall. JCPenney moved from downtown Sioux City to Target's anchor space in mid-2004, one year after Target moved to a free-standing Target Greatland store. Major tenants Scheels All Sports and Barnes & Noble also opened in 2003 and 2004 respectively. [cite web|author=The Macerich Company|title=Barnes & Noble Opens at Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City; New JCPenney Store to Follow This Summer (press release)|url=http://www.companyboardroom.com/releasetext.asp?ticker=mac&coid=80539&client=forbes&release=511420|date=2004-04-01]

In 2003, the National Park Service named Southern Hills Mall a national trail site after the mall commissioned 38 paintings that commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition's 200th anniversary. [cite news|first=Donna|last=Mitchell|title=Art History: Mural at Iowa mall recalls Lewis and Clark expedition through Siouxland area|url=https://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/current/page201.html|work=Shopping Centers Today|publisher=International Council of Shopping Centers|date=May 2003]

Anchors and major tenants

*Barnes & Noble (25,000 sq. ft.)
*Carmike Cinema 12 (40,386 sq. ft.)
*JCPenney (100,000 sq. ft.)
*Scheels All Sports (59,360 sq. ft.)
*Sears (122,792 sq. ft.)
*Younkers (90,785 sq. ft.)
*Steve & Barry's (36,000 sq. ft.) (opening fall 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.southernhillsmall.com/ Southern Hills Mall]